The Locus Of Fear 7 (TLOF_7)

The Locus of Fear Seven (TLOF_7) is a practice-based, artistic–scientific research project that explores how immersive technologies can open new ways of understanding fear and anxiety-related experiences. By combining Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), eye-tracking, and brainwave measurement (EEG), the project investigates how adaptive visual environments can respond to perceptual and physiological signals in real time. The research is exploratory and non-clinical, focusing on experiential insight and responsible use of emerging technologies.
TLOF_7 is a co-creative collaboration between Farah Shretah (immersive experience maker and community-based artist), Prof. Dr. Ysbrand van der Werf (Amsterdam UMC), Dr. Funda Yildirim (University of Twente), and Danny van Zuijlen (creative IX producer, Studio Immersief). The project builds on three years of artistic research, residencies, and public test sessions, during which a central challenge became apparent: immersive media can strongly affect emotional experience, yet creators lack structured ways to observe how these effects unfold and differ across individuals. TLOF_7 responds to this gap by asking whether neural-bio signals can meaningfully shape adaptive immersive experiences.
The research unfolds in three phases: establishing a methodological and ethical framework; integrating existing technologies into a modular, research-grade system; and evaluating an immersive prototype with a larger group of participants. Together, these phases generate insight into both technical feasibility and experiential dynamics.
Impact goals and results:
Rather than delivering a finished product, TLOF_7 generates transferable knowledge for the immersive experience field. Key outcomes include a documented framework for responsible immersive design, a reusable experimental SDK, and empirically grounded insights into adaptive visual experience. These results are shared through workshops, presentations, and mentoring-oriented knowledge exchange within professional IX networks and partner hubs, supporting more reflective, ethical, and imaginative use of immersive technologies in creative and applied contexts.